VOLUNTEER HOSE COMPANY

MIDDLETOWN,DE COMPLETED 2000 w/ Richard Conway Meyer Arch.

We shared the Board's desire that the Firehouse make an association with the architectural heritage and craftsmanship of Middletown's past, but also saw it as a compelling model for future structures of similar or greater scale.

In addition to eight active apparatus bays (six drive-through), and related administrative, living, recreation and sleeping facilities, the program includes a Museum for the VHC's early equipment and memorabilia, and a Meeting Hall capable of seating 300 for Dinner and Dancing. These elements ensure that the Firehouse will remain a social center for the community, and communicate the importance of the volunteer firefighters' role in the founding and development of Middletown for generations to come.

The Firehouse, besides projecting the image of a security and social 'center', has the potential to inform other new development about how to be a progressive contributor to the established physical and cultural context of this town.